Author: Kess Ewubare
- The Nigerian Navy, army and air force will contribute troops for an ECOWAS operation meant to get President Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia to step down
- A Nigerian war ship, the NNS Unity, is currently sailing off the coast of Ghana, after leaving Lagos for the operation
- President Yahya Jammeh has declared a national state of emergency 24 hours to the end of his tenure
The federal government is to send Nigerian soldiers to join the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) troops in Senegal, ahead of the Thursday, January 19 deadline given to President Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia to step down.
The Punch, citing a top military source in the Nigerian Air force, reports that the air force, the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Army would all contribute troops for the operation.
The source said the troops would be briefed by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, in the early hours of Wednesday, January 18, before leaving for Senegal.
He said: "I can confirm to you that men of the Air Force will leave for Senegal tomorrow (Wednesday). They will be briefed by the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, at the Kainji base in Niger State.
“That Nigeria is deploying troops is now a certainty after several meetings with The Gambian president yielded no result. The Chiefs of Defence Staff of ECOWAS countries came to Abuja on Saturday, where they discussed what components each member state is expected to contribute to the troops that will force Yahya Jammeh out.
“The troops are expected to stay for two weeks and they will be received at a base in Senegal.”
Though the number of deployment could not yet be ascertained as of the time of filing this report, military sources have disclosed that the Nigerian warship, NNS UNITY, is also heading for the coast of the Gambia to join the operation.
https://www.naij.com/1083159-nigerian-troops-join-ecowas-force-gambia.html
